Cooking Classes

30.9.12

The last time I visited my friends Greg and Jerry in Winnipeg they made this amazing savoury tarte for me. I now have a lot of beautiful heirloom tomatoes and wanted to make it. The parmesan crust makes this dish.

Beat
egg and 2 teaspoons ice water in small bowl to blend; add to dry ingredients.

Using
on/off turns, blend until dough comes together in moist clumps, adding more ice
water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into
disc. Wrap and chill 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled)

Cut a shallow X in bottom of each tomato with a sharp paring
knife. Blanch tomatoes in batches of 2 or 3 in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling
water 10 seconds, transferring with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold
water to stop cooking.

Peel tomatoes, then halve crosswise. Squeeze halves gently,
cut sides down, over a sieve set over a bowl to extract seeds and juices, then
press on seeds and discard them. Reserve juice and tomatoes.

24.9.12

Think baba ganoush. Smokey flavoured eggplant dip is a Mediterranean staple that I simply adore. Then I received a huge zucchini from my school children. Make something! This hummus was outstanding and I will definitely make it again. Puréed in my Vitamix and it so creamy and smooth. If you didn't know, you would think you are eating regular chick pea hummus. My zucchini was huge and dry much like a squash. If you use smaller ones you may want to let the pieces drain after grilling.

Grilled Zucchini Hummus

1 large zucchini

1/4 cup tahini

3 to 4 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Heat a grill to high.

Trim the ends from the zucchini, then slice it in half
lengthwise. If the seeds are large and watery, use a melon baller or small
spoon to scrape out and discard most of the seeds from the centre of each half.
It’s not critical to get them all. If the inside of the zucchini appears firm
and the seeds small, you don’t need to scrape them out.

Place the zucchini on the grill, cut side up, then reduce
heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, or until just lightly browned and starting to
get tender. Set aside to cool.

When the zucchini has cooled enough to handle, place it in a
food processor. Add the remaining ingredients. Process for 1 minute, or until very smooth.

The hummus can be served immediately, or chilled. The hummus
will thicken slightly as it chills.

23.9.12

Zucchini and autumn is a given in the farm kitchen. You don't have one without the other. I was a substitute teacher at a nearby Hutterite Colony a couple of weeks ago and the children presented me with two huge zucchinis. 'Make something for the market,' they suggested. So I did.

Zucchini Relish

This is so good. It has a sweet and sour relish flavour that would be great with hot dogs. I made some fresh beans and enjoyed them with the relish.

10
cups chopped zucchini

2
cups chopped onion

5
tablespoons pickling salt

2
tablespoons cornstarch

2
sweet red peppers, chopped

1
small hot pepper, chopped

1
tablespoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2
tablespoons celery seed

1
tablespoon turmeric

6
cups sugar

2
1/2 cups cider vinegar

Place chopped zucchini and onions in a large
pan. Sprinkle salt over them and let stand overnight. The next day, rinse these
ingredients well. Stir in all the rest of the ingredients and cook for 30
minutes.

11.9.12

This salad is stunning. It is refreshing and satisfying and filling all at the same time. Soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour along with white flour so they are lower in gluten and have a richer flavour. They cook quickly. Ramen noodles could be substituted.

Soba Noodle Salad

Yield 8 servings

15
ounces (1 package) dried soba noodles

1
1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

juice from one lime

zest of one lime

2
tablespoons brown sugar

2
cloves garlic, minced

2
teaspoons red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)

1
cup finely grated carrot

1/4 cup coarsely chopped salted peanuts

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional

In
a large pot, cook soba noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse
noodles with cold water, and set aside.

10.9.12

Extending summer by
enjoying the flavours of fresh vegetables should be considered magic. I cannot
think of anything that keeps the memory of those hot days alive in my mind more
than enjoying the garden.

This picture is from Elliston, Newfoundland, Canada. These cellars have been name the Upstairs/Downstairs Cellar.

Of course we love our frozen
vegetables. Some dry herbs. We preserve fruits and jams. But one of the
original methods of food preservation is the root cellar. This is making a
revival as people want to eat more locally grown food. To work properly, a root
cellar must hold a temperature of 32 to 40 F (0 – 5 C) and a humidity level of
85 to 95 percent. This higher humidity prevents vegetables from drying. Beets,
Brussels sprouts pulled with the root and hung upside down, cabbage, carrots
and potatoes with no sprouts keep best in a root cellar. They will keep better
if clean and soil removed.

In my research for this
week’s article I came across the town of Elliston on Bonavista Peninsula,
Newfoundland. It is the self-declared “Root Cellar Capital of the World.” After
the cod moratorium in 1992, many families left. Now with its documented 135
root cellars for 300 souls, Elliston is capitalizing on this unique feature.
Some of these cellars are 200 years old and still in use. The town hosts Roots,
Rants & Roars, an annual festival showcasing the province’s culinary
heritage. This is an admirable feat for such a small community. There is still
time to attend this year’s festival from September 21 – 23 with an impressive
line up of top chefs from across the country. As a lover of food and all things
Canadian, this is feast is on my bucket list.

How to Create a Root
Cellar

This, at its simplest, is
a hole in the ground. I can remember as a child visiting neighbours who had a
root cellar. It was accessed by an exterior hatchway or more commonly called,
trap door. It had concrete walls and a dirt floor. Cellars were often under the
house, porch or under a mound of soil to maintain a constant temperature both
summer and winter.

To create one in your
home, determine the dampest section of your basement. If possible, select a
corner as this offers the maximum coolness and requires minimum construction.
Create ventilation that allows cold outside air to enter. An existing window
would be ideal. Remove the glass from the window and replace with plywood so a
vent can be installed.

Use a plastic composite
material for the floor since basement floors are damp. Insulate the ceiling and
interior walls to keep the cool air in and warm air out.An exterior insulated door is ideal or
insulate an interior door for access.

Add shelving for storage
with space for air circulation. Lower shelves will be the coolest and upper
shelves will be the warmest. Wire baskets are a good way to organize items
stored in the cellar.

Cold Rooms

A cold room on the other hand
needs dry air. The construction is the same but the air is drier. Keep
preserves and canned goods in a cold room. Dry beans and lentils, garlic and
onions, squash, tomatoes and apples are best in a cold room.In both cold rooms and root cellars
ventilation is required. It allows the gases that are produced from ripening
foods to escape and prevents spoilage.

Oven Roasted Squash

Squash keeps so nicely
over the winter in a cold room. You can pull it out and enjoy garden freshness
any time. Oven roast to make a delicious healthy soup that everyone will enjoy.
It can be tossed with vegetable oil or butter to serve with your supper. High
in Vitamin A and C, traces of calcium and iron make it a nutritious side dish.
Roasting carmelizes the natural sugars and adds a depth of flavour not obtained
through simply boiling.

Cut squash in half and
scoop out seeds. Spray inside with oil and place cut side down on a baking
sheet. Place in a 375 F (190 C) oven for approximately 45 minutes or until fork
tender. Cool, peel skin and discard. Cut into 2-inch cubes.

At this point you can
quickly reheat in a pan with a little butter or vegetable oil, season with salt
and pepper and serve. Or you can make a squash soup.

Squash Soup with Ginger

Serves 6

This is a heart warming
soup with lots of flavour. Make it vegetarian by using milk or water instead of
chicken broth. Or use vegetable stock.If fresh ginger is not readily available, herbs such as thyme and
oregano add a nice hit of flavour.

Working in batches, purée
soup in blender. Return soup to pot. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer,
thinning with more broth, if necessary. Serve immediately.Garnish with chopped parsley, toasted
pumpkin seeds, croutons or sour cream.

Onion Strings

The Pioneer Woman is one
of my favourite blogs. She is a big city girl who married and moved to a ranch.
The recipes are simple and always please. This is one I make every chance I
get.

1 whole large onion (sweet like a Vidalia or
Walla Walla)

2 c. buttermilk 500 mL

2 c. all purpose flour 500 mL

1 T. salt 15 mL

1/4 t. cayenne pepper 2 mL

5 – 10 c. canola oil 1-2 L

black pepper, to taste

Slice onion very thinly.
Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk. Soak for at least an hour.

Using kitchen tongs, grab
some of the onions and shake off excess buttermilk. Toss into the flour
mixture.Toss around to coat
thoroughly and tap to shake off excess flour. Plunge into hot oil. Fry for a
few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.Drain on paper towels and serve.

7.9.12

Run, don't walk, down to Wholesale Club. Fresh figs just arrived today. They are wonderful! And less than $2.50 for a little basket.

They are deliciously sweet and I love them simply with goat cheese and honey. Thyme is a natural pairing. All you do is quarter and eat. I smear a little goat cheese and honey on the fig or I might use a raincoast crisp and top it with the goat cheese, honey and fig.

I have mixed some bread for the farmers' market tomorrow using figs and thyme. I can hardly wait to try it. I will be making some Drunken Fig Jam with a touch of brandy and also Fig and Thyme Jam for serving with cheese or meat.

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About Me

By education, I am a home economist and by interest, I am an avid cook. I taught high school home ec for a little while, belonged to a dinner club for at least 17 years (same group!) and recently began teaching some cooking classes. I am a foodie at heart and always bring back a bag full of groceries from where I travel. It makes for an interesting pantry! All of the above happened while I lived in Calgary for 35 years. I spent 5 months housesitting in Tennessee and lapped up all the Southern cooking ideas.
Now I am back in Canada and bought a house in a little city on the Saskatchewan prairies.